For Immediate Release
Monday, Jan. 20, 2014

NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#24 Marc Musungayi  
F, 6-6, 220, Sr.,
Hamilton, Ontario
Iowa Central CC
University of Mary

Musungayi carried the University of Mary to its first weekend conference sweep in nearly three years. The senior forward averaging 25 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals while making all 20 free throw attempts and shooting 57.7 per cent from the floor in home wins over St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth. In an 88-83 double overtime win over the Huskies, Musungayi scored a career-high 33 points as he connected on all 15 free throws attempts - including 11 in the overtime sessions - and 9-of-16 field goal attempts. He also had nine boards and three steals. His 15 free throws is the most by a U-Mary player in the Marauders NCAA era and the 33 points is the team’s top figure since All-American Anthony Moody posted 42 at SCSU on Feb. 19, 2011. Musungayi concluded the weekend with 17 points in an 83-67 win over the Bulldogs. He made all five free throws, extending his season total to 22 straight, and was 6-of-10 from the floor. The Hamilton, Ontario, native also had six rebounds and three assists.

AUGUSTANA COLLEGE  #32 Casey Schilling (F, 6-6, 190, So., Ellsworth, Minn./Ellsworth HS) averaged 20 points and 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and two steals last weekend while recording his second-career 15-15 game. Schilling finished with 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to go along with three steals and two assists against Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday night. The night before, Schilling finished with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists at Minnesota State while shooting 8 of 10 from the field, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. The sophomore finished the weekend shooting 52 percent (13 of 25) from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range while going 9 of 9 for the free throw line.

BEMIDJI STATE - #4 Maxie Rosenbloom (F, 6-6, 210, Sr., St. Paul, Minn. / Johnson HS) averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, shot 85.7 percent from the field (12-for-14) and went 10-for-13 (76.9%) from the free throw line in a home weekend sweep of MSU Moorhead and Northern State. He totaled a career-high 22 points and added 10 rebounds in the win against the Dragons. He went 8-for-9 (88.9%) from the field and hit four free throws with less than 21 seconds remaining to ice the game. The double-double was Rosenbloom’s fifth of the season, which is tied for second in the NSIC. He added 12 points on 4-of-5 (80%) shooting from the field with eight rebounds and two blocks Saturday. On the weekend he played in 77 of 80 minutes and added three blocks, two assists and a steal. The senior’s 9.4 rebounds per game this season leads the NSIC.
The Bemidji State men’s basketball team leads the NSIC North with a 9-3 record (12-4 overall) after sweeping a league home weekend. The Beavers defeated MSU Moorhead 77-71 Friday before they posted an 85-77 victory against Northern State. BSU has won five straight and are 6-1 in its last seven games. During the last seven games, BSU is shooting 57.4 percent and averaging 88.4 points per game. Junior Brock Lutes ranks second in the NSIC in scoring (19.2 ppg), while senior Maxie Rosenbloom leads the league in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (63.4%) and senior Jake Schalow leads the conference in 3-point percentage (54.8%). BSU hits the road for its next four, starting Jan. 24-25 at U-Mary and Minot State. BSU is 6-9 all-time against U-Mary, but have won the last four meetings, which includes a season sweep last year. Bemidji State is 8-5 all-time against its fellow Beavers. Last season BSU split the season series with Minot State, which included an 86-76 road loss.

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL - #25 Terez VanPelt (G, 6-0, 170, Jr., Osseo, Minn./HS) topped 1,000 career points en route to averaging 27.0 points per game over the weekend. After becoming the 16th member of Concordia’s 1,000 point club early in the game on Friday against Wayne State, he finished the night tying his career-high of 28 points, adding four assists, three rebounds, two steals and no turnovers while shooting 9-16 from the floor and 9-10 at the line. He added 26 points on Saturday against Augustana, shooting 9-15 from the field, hitting a season-high four three-pointers (4-7) and 4-5 at the line. For the weekend he shot 58.1% (18-31) from the floor, 50.0% (5-10) from three and 86.7% (13-15) from the line. He’s topped 20-plus points four straight games and eight times in 12 NSIC contests. On the year, he averages 19.7 points but in NSIC games he leads the league with 20.8 points per game.
She Mandli returned to the starting lineup and was efficient offensively, shooting 88.9% (8-9) from the field, 2-2 from three-point while averaging 10.0 points per game … this weekend, Concordia returns to the road at Upper Iowa on Friday and at Winona State on Saturday … Concordia is 12-8 in 20 all-time meetings against the Peacocks and 7-2 on the road in Fayette including three straight wins … the last time UIU defeated Concordia at Dorman Gym was Feb. 27, 2010 (77-80) … earlier this year, UIU defeated Concordia (87-88) at Gangelhoff Center and the Peacocks have won two of the last three in the series overall … under head coach Kelly Boe, Concordia is 10-5 against UIU … Concordia is 3-39 all-time against Winona State but all three wins have come at McCown Gym, home of the Warriors, and all three have come under head coach Kelly Boe who holds a 3-13 career record against WSU … the Golden Bears won their last trip to McCown Gym last Feb. 15, 2013 with an 89-74 win and are 3-2 in their last five trips to Winona, Minn. … earlier this year, WSU defeated Concordia (69-71) at Gangelhoff Center.

UNIVERSITY OF MARY -  Marc Musungayi (F, 6-6, 220, Sr., Hamilton, Ontario / Iowa Central CC) carried the University of Mary to its first weekend conference sweep in nearly three years. The senior forward averaging 25 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals while making all 20 free throw attempts and shooting 57.7 per cent from the floor in home wins over St. Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota Duluth. In an 88-83 double overtime win over the Huskies, Musungayi scored a career-high 33 points as he connected on all 15 free throws attempts - including 11 in the overtime sessions - and 9-of-16 field goal attempts. He also had nine boards and three steals. His 15 free throws is the most by a U-Mary player in the Marauders NCAA era and the 33 points is the team’s top figure since All-American Anthony Moody posted 42 at SCSU on Feb. 19, 2011. Musungayi concluded the weekend with 17 points in an 83-67 win over the Bulldogs. He made all five free throws, extending his season total to 22 straight, and was 6-of-10 from the floor. The Hamilton, Ontario, native also had six rebounds and three assists.

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON  - The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball team fell to MSU Moorhead and Northern State in a pair of NSIC North division games at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles have now lost 10-straight games in league play and now hold a 4-12 (1-11 NSIC) mark on the 2013-14 season.
The Golden Eagles were led by 23 points from Derrick Redd on 9-of-12 shooting from the field in an 87-63 win over MSU Moorhead. Friday, UMC fell 72-49 to Northern State. The Golden Eagles were led by 11 points from Tyler West. West added six boards. Tim Lubke had 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting against Northern State.
Minnesota Crooskton hung with both teams until around the 10 minute mark of the second half, but were unable to stick with the Wolves and Dragons down the stretch as both teams went on maor runs.


MINNESOTA DULUTH  - The University of Minnesota Duluth sought a pair of season sweeps against its NSIC North division rivals on a road swing through North Dakota, but the Bulldogs were only able to complete one, defeating Minot State University while falling to the University of Mary. Friday night, the Beavers opened up an early nine-point lead against UMD, but the Bulldogs chipped away and eventually took a halftime lead of 43-38 to the locker room. UMD led the rest of the way, with senior guard Peter Crawford starring for UMD, tossing in 24 points on the night. A Saturday night started with a pair of teams that could not miss in the early going, with UMD shooting 62.5 percent in the opening half, but the Bulldogs cooled significantly in the second half and saw U-Mary pull away. Senior guard Jordan Reetz had 18 points in the first half and finished with 22 for the game to lead the Bulldogs. Junior guards Reece Zoelle and Junior Coleman each had big weekends for UMD. Zoelle had 34 points between the two games while Coleman added 29. Next weekend, the Bulldogs return home to Romano Gym, where they are 6-1 on the year, and begin a four-game home-stand.

MINNESOTA STATE - #50 Assem Marei, F, 6-9, Jr., Cairo, Egypt Assem Marei led the Mavericks this past weekend in scoring and rebounding as he averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds per game. He shot 61.9% (13-of-21) from the field and tallied four blocks. Against Augustana, he led the Mavericks with 18 points and nine rebounds. He followed up with a 12-point, 13-rebound performance against Wayne State for his 12th career double-double.
The Mavericks swept the regular season series against both Augustana (84-77) and Wayne State (76-57). With its two wins this past weekend, MSU improved to 16-3 on the season, including a 10-2 mark in NSIC play. As a team, MSU averaged 80 points and 40 rebounds per game this past weekend, as it shot 49.6% from the field. Four Mavericks averaged at least 10 points per game this past weekend, including seniors Connor O’Brien and Gage Wooten, who averaged 14 points per game each. Junior Zach Monaghan passed out 22 assists this past weekend and has now tallied at least 10 assists in the last five games.

MSU MOORHEAD - Tarell Clark (G, 6-3, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn. / Burnsville HS) had an outstanding week in helping MSUM to a 1-1 mark on the road. Clark had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds in the Dragons’ 77-71 loss to Bemidji State on Friday. A night later, Clark scored a career-high 28 points and added nine rebounds in an 87-63 win over Minnesota Crookston. Clark averaged 23.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the week, and shot 54.3 percent (19-of-35) from the field. Clark has scored in double figures in six straight games and in nine of his last 10 games, raising his scoring average from 8.2 points per game to 11.1 during that span.
Junior guard Malik Wood had his best weekend of the season in helping MSUM to a 1-1 mark. Wood had a career-high 16 points in a 77-71 loss to Bemidji State last weekend, and followed with 14 points in a win at Minnesota-Crookston. Wood averaged 15.0 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds for the week while shooting 58.8 percent from the field.

MINOT STATE - Minot State University continued to show flashes of excellent play – but just not enough consistent basketball – as the Beavers fell twice on the weekend, 88-80 against Minnesota Duluth Friday and 88-85 in overtime to St. Cloud State Saturday. The Beavers have lost six straight and are looking for their first win in the New Year.  Offensively, Minot State was solid most of the weekend as three players averaged in double figures paced by #3 E.J. Williams (G, 6-0, 185, Sr., Raleigh, N.C. / Capitol Hill / Cape Fear Community College) who finished with a 24.0 average. He also had 12 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in two games. #5 Dominique McDonald (G, 6-0, 175, So., Raleigh, N.C. / Wake Forrest-Rolesville) and #15 Thomas Korf (F, 6-5, 199, Jr., St. Cloud, Minn. / St. Cloud Tech) both averaged double figures as McDonald scored a combined 30 points, while Korf added 25 points on 6 of 11 shooting on 3-pointers. The Beavers will look to snap their losing skid with a pair of home games taking on Minnesota Crookston Friday and Bemidji State Saturday.

NORTHERN STATE - Seth Bachand (Jr., Sturgis, S.D.) led the Wolves over the weekend averaging 17 points and six rebounds per game in the Northern split against Minnesota, Crookston and Bemidji State. Bachand shot an incredible 76.2 percent from the floor (16-for-21) over the weekend and also recorded two blocks and a steal in the NSU win over UMC. Bachand tied a career-high with 17 points scored against the Golden Eagles and followed that up by setting a new career-best with 23 points against BSU.
The Wolves sit a game back of Bemidji in the North Division standings after their loss to the Beavers on Saturday. Northern finishes its road trip this weekend as the Wolves travel to St. Cloud State Friday for a 8 p.m. contest and will face Minnesota Duluth at 6:00 Saturday night. Northern is 3-3 all-time against UMD under Head Coach Paul Sather. The Wolves haven’t beaten SCSU (0-6) under Sather.

SIOUX FALLS - 11 Derek Brown (G, 6-0,180, Sr.,  Clark, S.D. / Clark )  was dialed in from deep and continued to shoot for perfection from the stripe to lead the Cougars (8-8, 5-7 NSIC) to a pair of crucial league victories against Upper Iowa (84-78) and No. 16 Winona State (76-69). Brown averaged 15.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and two assists on the two-game homestand to help USF snap a three-game NSIC losing streak. Trailing Upper Iowa 20-18 midway through the first half, Brown hit back-to-back triples to move the Cougars in front 24-23 and restore the energy to the home bench. He finished with 15 points against the Peacocks, going 3-for-4 from three and 6-for-6 from the line. The Cougars were down 8-4 early to the No. 16 Warriors when Brown once against hit consecutive treys to tie the game at 10-all. Each of his four made triples proved critical, as his last two would knot the game at 22-22 and later at 62-62. Leading 69-65 with less than a minute on the clock, Winona State went into a late game foul mode which proved futile, as USF went 7-for-7 in the closing seconds to close out the upset victory. Brown tallied 16 points, three rebounds and three assists versus WSU.  
Brown has displayed nearly flawless shooting for perhaps basketball’s most idiosyncratic shot, as he leads the NSIC with a 97.2% clip at the charity stripe. With the Cougars up by two, 76-74, with 50 seconds left Upper Iowa forced them to ice the win at the charity stripe. Brown calmly netted USF’s final four points by going 4-for-4 at the stripe to clinch the win. He hit both of his late free throws against Winona and has now converted 35 of 36 freebie attempts this season. Brown went a combined 7-for-11 from long range this weekend. He ranks fifth in the NSIC in made three pointers, with 35 (2.19 per) and stands eighth in three-point percentage (45.5%).  

SMSU - Senior guard Vinard Birch (5-11, Eagan, Minn.) averaged 15.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 53 percent (10 of 19) from the field in SMSU’s split of two home games. He also became the program’s all-time leader in assists during SMSU’s win over No. 16 Winona State. Birch scored 16 points and dished out six assists in SMSU’s win over Winona State on Friday and then scored 15 points with two steals and two assists in SMSU’s loss to Upper Iowa on Saturday. Birch surpassed Andrew Peschong’s all-time assists record of 342 during Friday’s game and now has 347 in his four-year career.

ST. CLOUD STATE - The Huskies earned a road split, losing 88-83 in double overtime to Mary and bouncing back with an 88-85 overtime win at Minot State. Jordan Poydras (So., G, De Pere, Wis.) combined for 47 points in the two games and equaled his career high of 32 points against Minot State. For the weekend he shot 42.4 percent from the field, made five three-point baskets, had seven assists and six steals. Teammate Matt Craggs (Sr., F, Kimberly, Wis.) scored a career high 25 points in the Minot win and had nine rebounds. Craggs and Poydras accounted for 67 of the Huskies 88 points in the Minot win. Scott Stone (FY, G, Melrose, Minn.) made four free throws in the final 20 seconds of the Minot overtime to seal the win. He shot 50 percent from the field and three-point range for the weekend and made all nine of his free throw attempts over the two games. The Huskies double overtime game was the first since the 2005-06 season when St. Cloud State went into double overtime twice, both against Augustana College, and both losses. The Huskies return home on Jan. 24-25 where they own an 8-0 record this season and play Northern State and MSU Moorhead.
 
UPPER IOWA - Joey Woods (G, 6-2, 210, R-Sr., Naples, Fla./Golden Gate HS) led the Peacocks in scoring and passing this past weekend averaging 14.5 points and 5 assists per game as the Peacocks earned a split on the road. UIU shot 51-percent from deep over the weekend and after falling to Sioux Falls on Friday night, 84-78, the Peacocks bounced back with a resounding 96-75 win over Southwest Minnesota State. Grant Lang (G, 6-4, 195, Jr., Ankeny, Iowa./Ankeny HS) led UIU with 17 points in that game hitting 6 of his 10 attempts and adding three steals. Saturday’s victory was just the third win for UIU in 18 matchups with SMSU dating back to the 1979-80 season. The Peacocks were previously 0-8 against the Mustangs in Marshall, Minnesota and 0-6 in their last six meetings overall. The Peacocks’ win over SMSU also helped the team shake off a late collapse at USF on Friday night. UIU held a 70-65 lead over Sioux Falls with 4:54 remaining in regulation in the Stewart Center, but the Peacocks couldn’t sustain that momentum. The Cougars scored six straight times en route to the six-point victory at home. Josh Weeber (C, Fr., 6-5, 215, Dubuque, Ia./Senior HS) led UIU in scoring on Friday night with 19 points thanks to 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. As a unit, the Peacocks drilled 21-of-41 treys in their two-game road trip. UIU will now head home to welcome Concordia St. Paul and Minnesota State to Dorman Gym. Friday night’s action versus the Golden Bears will begin at 8 p.m.

WAYNE STATE - Senior Ty Bauschek averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in helping the Wayne State men split NSIC road games over the weekend at Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State.  The 6-1 guard from Mukwonago, Wisconsin scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help WSC rally from a 61-50 deficit to pick up an 83-80 win at Concordia-St. Paul Friday evening.  Bauschek was 4 of 10 from the field (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and hit 7 of 9 free throws.  Bauschek added a team-high 17 points Saturday, including 10 for 11 at the free throw stripe, in the Wildcats’ 76-57 loss at #20 Minnesota State.  For the weekend, Bauschek made 17 of 20 (.850) from the free throw line and was 4 of 11 behind the 3-point stripe.  
 
WINONA STATE -  Taylor Cameron, G, Sr., 6-5, 200, Oshkosh, Wis. (North) averaged 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, including a double-double against Sioux Falls, in a pair of contests for Winona State last weekend. Cameron had a fantastic weekend, beginning with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Southwest Minnesota State. He followed with a double-double against USF, scoring 24 points while grabbing 11 boards. The senior shot the ball well, going 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from the floor while knocking down four 3-pointers. He also recorded four steals and a block on the weekend.


Past NSIC Players of the Week
11/11/13    - Casey Schilling - Augie
11/18/13    - Sam Johnson - MISU
11/25/13    - Jordan Poydras - SCSU
12/2/13 -  E.J. Williams - MISU
12/9/13 - Maxie Rosenbloom - BSU
12/16/13    - Casey Schilling - Augie (2)
12/23/13 - Jake Schalow - BSU
1/6/14 -     Kellen Taylor - WSU
1/13/14 - Brock Lutes - BSU
1/20/14 - Marc Musungayi - U-Mary